


Low

by echoinspxce



Series: Astronomical: Voltron Song Fics [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety, Birthday, Bonfire, Bullying, Canon Compliant, Criticism, Earth, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Garrison trio, Gen, Haggar is a bitch, Happy Ending, Healing, I know right, Jokes, Kinda, Langst, Lauren Aquilina, Low by Lauren Aquilina, Magic, Ocean EP, Ocean by Lauren Aquilina, POV Hunk (Voltron), POV Lance (Voltron), Post-Season/Series 06, Song Lyrics, Songfic, Team Voltron Family, lance centric, lance day, maybe a second part?, no ships, oops i forgot romelle, she isnt there i guess, soft, the team is nice to lance, woah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-09 22:13:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15277290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoinspxce/pseuds/echoinspxce
Summary: Team Voltron has arrived on Earth, at last, but an unwelcome face is already there waiting for them."Too deep to see the waterlineToo young to know that I'll be fineThe fragile always fall apartYou make my ache your art"Inspired by the absolutely gorgeous song Low by Lauren Aquilina





	1. Low

**Author's Note:**

> I know what you're probably thinking, "Why another angsty songfic after you just released Why Am I Crying?" "You need to update your other fics!" I had this idea before Why Am I Crying, but it took quite awhile to write. This idea also wouldn't leave my head until I wrote it down. I promise after all of this angst I will update one of my funnier fics! I actually have a pretty funny chapter of Like No One's Watching in the works, so stay tuned for that! In writing this fic, I had a hard time choosing whether to go more literal or metaphorical with the lyrics, so I chose both! So I hope you're ready for that. *Maniacle laughing fades off into the distance* Enjoy!
> 
> I don't own Voltron: Legendary Defender, any of its characters, or Low by Lauren Aquilina. Only the plot and the four original characters belong to me.

**_Lance_ **

We were on Earth, finally, after god knows how long. I had thought that the moment we landed I would be rushing out of my lion to kiss the ground. That I would be sobbing tears of joy.

But everything felt so  _ wrong.  _

I immediately could tell that something was off, that we wouldn’t be having the happy homecoming we had imagined. As the metallic claws of my lion grazed the surface of the rocky clearing we chose, I felt a surge of uneasiness that I couldn’t shake from my body. Emerging from Red, I looked over to Hunk and could tell he felt it as well.

Tension aside, I was glad to be home. I turned around to gaze past the lions, my vision filled with endless water all the way to the horizon. The clearing we had spotted in our attempt to land was a rocky cliff, overlooking the ocean. It was breathtakingly gorgeous. I resisted the urge to pull my shirt from my torso and dive in, for I knew something was up, and swimming could wait.

“Uh, is anyone feeling a little strange? Like something isn’t quite right?” Hunk anxiously questioned, earning nervous nods from the rest of the team. “Good, I’m not just getting sick again.”

Coran and Allura both took deep breaths, making confused faces. “Despite the strange aura this planet seems to be giving off,” Allura began, “The air here is not displeasing, yet different than that of Altea.”

“It could just be the fact that we haven’t been here in such a long time,” Pidge offered, trying to alleviate the unease within the group. “And we also had to deal with always expecting the unexpected. And besides, how would any of our enemies be here? They couldn’t have tracked us, right? Right? Coran,  _ please  _ tell me I’m right!”

“I’m not too sure about their tracking abilities, number five. It’s unlikely that they could, but then again they have highly advanced tech, as well as magic.” Coran sighed.

I let out a dry laugh, “Y’know, after all this, I’m not much of a fan of magic.”

“You and me both.” Keith agreed, a sarcastic tone in his voice. We all gathered in a defensive semi-circle in front of the lions, watching the forest for any movement. After minutes of sheer silence, the only disruptions being the ocean winds, waves, and the occasional breath or adjustment of footing, we all grew restless.

“I don’t think anyone’s coming, they would have attacked by now.” Shiro broke the silence, causing me to jump out of my skin at the sound.

“Someone’s coming!” Both Keith and Krolia shouted the moment the words left Shiro’s mouth. Sure enough, an onslaught of a weird energy-filled aura hit me like a wave. I heard sounds of surprise from the rest of my team as the energy knocked them back. The space wolf- what was it Krolia had called him? York? Yarok? Yorak.- sprinted back into the black lion, scared.

A few moments later I spotted a figure emerging from the brush and gasped. Pidge beside me swore under her breath.  _ No, it can’t be her! How did she get here before us?  _ The hooded woman manipulated the purple lightning between her hands, laughing in her  _ slightly terrifying  _ voice. “Paladins, and  _ others. _ ” She regards us coldly, an evil smirk gracing her lips.

“Haggar.” Allura snarled, grimacing. “We meet again.”

“So we do,  _ Princess. _ ”

Allura stepped forward. “Listen, whatever you want with Earth and its inhabitants, you won’t get. So leave. While you still can.”

The witch scoffed, “You think you scare me? You’re nothing but a scared child, trying to be like her father.” At this, we all activated our bayards, standing at the ready for whatever Haggar had planned. “And it is quite obvious what I am here for.”

Before we had a chance to react, a purple forcefield dome began to quickly form around us, and reacting on instinct, I sprinted outside of the circle as it began to close. I looked back, and the others hadn’t been able to react quick enough, and they were trapped inside. A quick realization hit me suddenly.  _ The others were trapped. I was the only one who could possibly defeat Haggar and free them. _

I made the split-second decision to fight with my sword instead of the blaster, as I knew Haggar could easily block the shots with a shield, but it would be harder to do so with a melee weapon. My bayard changed into a red broadsword, and I rushed toward the witch. I wasn’t quick enough, however, to dodge a blast of magic from her wrinkled hand, and was thrown back, past the edge of the cliff and down to the water below. My head filled with white noise and my vision went white, and I was barely able to catch the shouts of worry from my teammates.

* * *

**_Hunk_ **

“Lance!” I screamed, running to the edge of the forcefield to see my best friend’s limp form fall from the cliff and into the foaming waves. A violet tendril of electricity flicked out of the forcefield wall, chasing me toward the center.

“Uh, forming a plan might be a good idea right about now!” Pidge suggested, panicking.

“Well I can’t exactly think right now when I’m being shocked every time I so much as breathe in the wrong direction, and I think the dome is getting smaller!” Keith yelled in response.

“We need to think of something!” Allura cried, looking around for  _ anything  _ they could use. “Does anyone have any ideas?”

“Well, unfortunately, the sides of the dome aren’t solid so we can’t Star Wars our way out of this, and I don’t think I can think of anything else,” Pidge stated.

Shiro yelped when a spark shocked him on his shoulder. “Come on team! We always find our way out of sticky situations like this, we can do it again! We just need to work together.”

“I wouldn’t count on that, paladin.” Haggar sneered, walking around the dome to the other side, closer to the edge. “For how can you work as a team, when your team isn’t complete?”

“Speaking of which, Lance hasn’t surfaced yet, guys! It’s been too long!” I cried, looking for any sign of Lance down below.

“I wouldn’t expect your friend doing so for quite some time, yellow paladin.”

Pidge charged forward with her bayard, hoping that the two forms of energy contacting each other would cause a reaction. Nothing. “What did you do to him?!” She interrogated, trying to look as intimidating as possible, with tears threatening to build in her eyes.

The witch laughed dryly, “I think the question you all should be asking yourselves, is what  _ you all  _ did to him.”

* * *

**_Lance_ **

As I felt my body sink deeper into the water, all thoughts began to fade from my head, and I lost knowledge of where I was.

**_Been shot down one too many times_ **

Images started to flood my vision, and I was back in my 6th-grade math classroom. We were doing a project on what we wanted our future life to be like, and figuring out budgets and taxes. “Since I wasn’t able to be an astronaut for this project, I chose my future job to be an astronomer.”  _ Since when was I back in 6th grade? _

**_I’m embedded in the ground_ **

“Just face it,” James, the biggest bully in the grade, spoke up. “You can’t be an astronaut or astronomer when you can’t even pass an easy math test. Pick something that an idiot like you could  _ actually  _ accomplish. Like working at McDonald’s.”

**_These critics don’t know how to lie_ **

“James, not your turn to speak. Be quiet and let Lance finish his presentation.” The teacher scolded, although I could see it in her face that she agreed.  _ She didn’t even try to defend me. _

**_I just wish I could mute all their mouths_ **

_ Because it’s true.  _ The voice in my head snarled, and I shook my head, rushing out of the room as tears began to form.

**_And I know,_ **

**_We all get low_ **

The image changed, and somehow I was now in the Garrison, getting yelled at by my former team.  _ Wait, why are they here? _ “Lance, you are the worst pilot in this goddamn school! I cannot believe we were paired with you! Come on Sienna, we’re going to ask Iverson if we can switch partners.”

**_But I don’t know how I’m gonna get up from this one_ **

The two cadets, whom I had thought were my friends, began to leave the room. The engineer, Sienna, turned around and glared at me. “Good riddance, McClain.” You’d have thought I would’ve cried, but I was all too used to this. People liked me for a little while, realized how useless I was, and then left.

**_I really don’t_ **

Once again, the scene changed and I found myself standing next to Pidge and Hunk in front of the flight simulator, frowning and looking at the floor.  _ Didn’t I already live through this?  _ “I hope I don't need to remind you that the only reason you're here is that the best pilot in your class had a discipline issue and flunked out.  _ Don't _ follow in his footsteps. Next!” Iverson shouted in my face and I barely flinched.  _ Great, another reminder of how much I don’t belong here. _

**_The peaks and troughs they hit us all_ **

Yes, I understand I made a mistake. We all make them, right? Why did it seem that all of mine happened at the absolute worst time? Why was I only good at something when I didn’t need to be?  _ I swear to God I’ve been through this moment before.  _ I looked over at my teammates and saw that they couldn’t even meet my eyes.  _ They pity you.  _ The voice came back into my head, restating what I already knew.  _ They know you tried your hardest, but are too damn useless to ever amount to anything. _

**_We all live in the waves we’ve created_ **

_ Something’s off about this.  _ It seems like whatever I do, I’m always defined by my mistakes in the eyes of other people. Just last week I flew the best of our group, but no one batted an eyelash. The second I make a mistake, they’re all over me, scrutinizing my every move.  _ Wait! I’m not even in the Garrison anymore, what is going on? _

**_Wouldn’t know we’re flying without the falls_ **

**_But I’m underground screaming for something_ **

_ Wasn’t I just with Voltron? Fighting an intergalactic space war, far away from Earth and the Garrison?  _ Pidge finally looked at me, pushing up his-her! Why did I think he?- glasses. “Good going, Lance.” It was phrased as a joke, but I couldn’t help but think there was an underlying meaning, that most definitely  _ was not  _ a joke.

**_And I know,_ **

**_We all get low_ **

_ I know this isn’t real. I have already gone through this, and it was currently years later. So why was I experiencing it again? Had the past few years been a dream, and I was still a 17-year-old cadet in the Garrison? No, it definitely wasn’t. The amount of pain I’ve experienced, including many near-death experiences, and one actual death, not that long ago, where Allura had to resurrect me, is far too great to have been a dream. And I’ve felt more than that, happiness, love, acceptance. Why was I being forced to relive moments in my life where I had been criticized and put down? The witch! _

**_But I don’t know how I’m gonna get up from this one_ **

**_No, I don’t know how I’m gonna get up from this one_ **

_ That’s right, life wasn’t like that anymore. I wasn’t being criticized for every breath I take. Sure the criticism was still there, but it was in a way where it would help me grow rather than knock me down. _

**_No, I don’t know how I’m gonna get up from this one_ **

_ How am I going to get out of here and back to the team?  _ I slapped myself in the dream-like trance and felt it was hard to move my arm, like I was underwater.  _ I was underwater!  _ The scene playing before me began to fade away, with an endless expanse of blue to replace it.

**_I really don’t_ **

The water started to sting my eyes, which tried to force themselves closed, but I relented, looking around where I was. I looked to be at the bottom of an ocean, but it didn’t look too deep, that's a relief. I was about to make my way to the surface when a shooting pain shot through my side.  _ Great. I landed on a coral and now said creature is stabbing into my side. Deep. Also, my foot was stuck, so that was fun.  _ My blood, diluted by the water, floated around me in wisps, and I could tell I was running out of air.

I managed to pull my foot free with a few kicks of the other, and began to work on the coral in my side. I spotted my bayard laying on the wet sand beside me and was just able to reach it. With a quick transformation and slice, the coral was detached from me, although now I was bleeding more heavily.  _ We’ll deal with that later.  _

**_Too deep to see the waterline,_ **

**_Too young to know that I’ll be fine_ **

I let my bayard dematerialize, and as fast as I could, I swam upward, becoming weaker by the second but pushing forward.  _ I had to save my team! I now knew exactly what was happening, and I needed to free them from Haggar’s hold before it was too late! _

**_The fragile always fall apart,_ **

**_You make my ache your art_ **

After what seemed like forever, I surfaced, drawing in the biggest breath of my life.  _ I guess being the champion swimmer on my swim team really paid off, huh.  _ I oriented myself and found that I was not far from where the others were. I saw the bright purple forcefield and just managed to see Hunk’s orange headband and the starch white locks of Allura. I reached the shore, a small, narrow collection of rocks and sand before the cliff began. Terrified, Hunk glanced down towards me, eyes widening once he noticed me. From down below, I could just tell he opened his mouth, about to shout that I was alive. With my hand clutching my bleeding side, I quickly held a finger to my lips, telling him to keep quiet. My friend smiled and gave a barely noticeable nod, turning back to face Haggar, who was now on the edge of the cliff. I eyed the stone wall with unease.  _ I have to climb up there. Well, I guess the rock climbing training we did would come to use. Here goes nothing. _

**_Too deep to see the waterline,_ **

**_Too young to know that I’ll be fine_ **

Shakily, I began the long,  _ long,  _ climb, coming close to falling multiple times. My side was aching, but adrenaline kept me going. I knew that if I stopped moving for too long I would fall from the side of the cliff, and most likely not be able to climb back up. My fingers were shaking and my grip strength was weak. But I needed to get up there if it’s the last thing I do.  _ It very well may be.  _ I thought, but shook my head and continued to climb.

**_The fragile always fall apart,_ **

**_You make my ache your art_ **

Muscles aching, my fingers finally reached flat rock, and I let out a silent sigh of relief.  _ I can’t let Haggar know I’m alive. If she finds out I’m here, she’ll be impossible to defeat. I have to kill her from behind. Come on, Lance. You can do this. Your team is relying on it. _

**_And I know,_ **

**_We all get low_ **

Using some of my remaining strength, I pulled myself onto the cliff edge silently, looking up to see that Haggar had not noticed me, still tormenting the others. I gave a quick silencing finger to my teammates when they were about to gasp. I stood up shakily, summoning my bayard in its broadsword form.

**_But I don’t know how I’m gonna get up from this one_ **

Weakly, I rose the sword, preparing myself to swing. _I need to cut off her head, I don’t trust myself to correctly stab through her heart, and I don’t know if that could even kill her. I have to kill her in one blow._ With the last of my waning energy, I swung. I swung as hard as I’ve ever swung, and luckily, I hit my target. I watched her decapitated body crumple and her head soar away, landing in the surf below. “That… is for everything.” I whispered as the forcefield faded.

**_No, I don’t know how I’m gonna get up from this one_ **

“Lance!” Hunk cheered, rushing toward me and gathering me into a big hug. I screamed in pain due to my  _ very much  _ bleeding side, and he let go quickly.

“You killed Haggar, Lance! You saved us!” Allura praised, and all I could offer was a small smile. I could feel my energy draining and my adrenaline running out.

**_I really don’t_ **

“Dude, your side.” Pidge and Keith gasped simultaneously, finally acknowledging my wound. “You’re bleeding, like a ton,” Pidge explained. I smiled once again, smaller, as I lost the strength to stand.

“Lance!” Coran cried as I almost hit the ground, Shiro was just fast enough to catch my falling form, stopping my head from crashing into the stone below.

The world went dark, the last thing I saw being the worried faces of my team- my family.

_ So they do care about me. _

**_I really don’t..._ **


	2. Ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Two of Low! I decided to write this in honor of our Best Blue Boy's birthday! This was originally going to be called Out Of Our Depth, after the song, but I changed it to Ocean, feeling that Lauren Aquilina song represented it better.
> 
> So vast, so free,  
> These deep blue waters draw me in jealousy  
> I lost my head  
> Somewhere between the surface and the seabed  
> I'll stay beneath  
> Where my voice makes no noise trapped in my body  
> But when I leave,  
> Well I know that one day it's an ocean I'd be  
> And they call it freedom  
> How can it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANCEYLANCE

"Lance!” Coran had cried when Lance suddenly collapsed, Shiro just being able to catch him. The boy's eyes closed slowly, head lolling to the side. Shiro quickly put his ear by Lance's mouth, hearing shallow and shaky breaths.

"He's still breathing, but not much.”

"We need to stop the bleeding, fast.” Coran hastily stated. "There's a portable healing pod in the transport ship, but it will take a while to get up and running, and it's less powerful than the normal ones, so it wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding itself. Pidge, come to help me with the pod.” He rushed over to the small transport ship without another word, and Pidge quickly ran after him, trying to keep herself calm.

Shiro laid Lance on the ground, while Keith ran towards the black lion, probably to get something. He sprinted back a few seconds later holding something resembling a towel. Him and Krolia got to work tying it tight around the Cuban's lanky torso, while Hunk held him slightly off the ground so they could slip the towel under. The large teen had tears streaming down his face by now, biting his lip to not release a loud sob. "Allura, try and see if you can get him to wake up. It probably won't work, but we just need to make sure he stays alive long enough to get in the pod.” Krolia commanded and Allura complied without a word.

Shiro and Keith worked on keeping steady pressure on the gash, and Krolia helped Allura with trying to wake Lance up. Hunk had rushed off to help Coran and Pidge, needing to get away from the scene. It was hard to see his best friend potentially dying and not being able to do much to stop it. He burst into the ship, walking over to the other two quickly working on the pod. Pidge turned to look at him for a second before going back to her work, typing lightning-speed on a keyboard. "I just- I couldn't- I needed to get away-” He stumbled over his words and Pidge shot him an empathetic look.

"Dude, it's fine. I definitely understand. Help Coran rewire the system.”

Before long, the trio had the pod working, and Pidge rushed out to tell the others to bring in Lance. Both Hunk and Coran let out an audible sigh of uneasy relief, seeing that the bleeding and almost stopped and the unconscious boy's chest was still rising and falling. They put him in the pod and immediately turned it on, letting out breaths they hadn't realized they had been holding. "And now,” Shiro began, "We wait.”

After minutes of standing in silence, the group dispersed slowly, some going back to their lions for some much-needed rest. They all knew they wouldn't be able to sleep, or even really rest, not knowing if Lance was going to survive. Hunk and Pidge stayed in the ship, however, not wanting to leave their friend's side. They sat cross-legged on the floor, playing weird versions of Go Fish and War with a deck of Altean playing cards Coran had given to Pidge. Both Coran and Keith joined them at different times, playing a few rounds and chatting, trying to get their mind off of what had happened, which was hard when Lance's motionless body was floating in a tank next to them.  _ But, what had actually happened?  _ Everyone was thinking,  _ Down there, under the water. Something had kept him down there for far too long, and it probably had to do with what Haggar said. _

The sun was going down, and it would be at least a day until they would know if Lance would survive, so, after lots of coaxing by Shiro, they both went back towards their own lions. "Get better, bro. Stay alive for me, okay?” Hunk whispered, putting his hand against the pod briefly before exiting. Now Coran was standing alone in the empty ship, in the dead of night.

"Tell me the truth; do you think he's going to make it?” A voice startled him, and he turned around to see Allura standing there, leaning on the wall near the entrance. "You can tell me anything, Coran. You've known me since my birth.”

"There's no way to know for sure-” He began but was cut off by the princess.

"What do  _ you  _ think? Forget science for a second, and tell me what  _ you  _ think."

"I,” He thought for a second, scratching his mustache. "Personally, I think Lance will fight through it. If he's strong enough to break out of one of Haggar's enchantments, I do believe he will survive this."

Allura stood in thought for a second, "You think Haggar put him in a trance?”

"I know so.” He stated and continued when he saw Allura's confused look. "Look at all the evidence. As we all know, Lance was underwater for far too long for a human. You may not know this, but I once did extensive research on the ways of Mages and how their magic effects the victim, and when someone is put in a trance, they stop breathing and don't have a need to breathe until the trance is over. It's quite an interesting concept actually. Another point is that, when looking at the scans from the pod,” He pulled up said scans, showing all of Lance's injuries. "Here, you see the wound in his side, and there is bruising on his foot, which I would assume was caused by getting his foot stuck in something. But here,” He gestured to the outline of a head, lighting up purple on the screen. "There are trace amounts of quintessential magic around the head and neck area, which means the blast was aimed toward his head. When putting people in trances, mages always aim for the head. If she was casting any other spell, say, vines that sprout and hold him to the ocean floor, any intellectual would aim for the chest or legs, as it would be much more difficult to break out than if they were just around his head. And lastly, I may have been imagining this, but when he collapsed and was about to fall unconscious, his pupils were extremely dilated to the point that you could barely see the whites. This is, in fact, a typical after effect of entrancement."

"So this means… this means that he was able to break out of one of Haggar's entrancements? The most powerful Altean witch known to the universe?” Allura gasped.

Coran smiled, "That's what appears to have happened.

"Do you have any idea when we'll know for sure if he'll be okay?”

"I'd say somewhere between ten and thirteen varga. It is going to be a long quintent- wait, what did they call it? Oh! A day!- tomorrow.”

* * *

 

It was around twelve varga later, and the whole team was sitting in a circle inside the cargo ship, eating leftover food goo and listening to one of Coran's stories. With a loud ding and a flash, the pod lit up and Coran rushed over to read the information now on the glass, story forgotten.

"He's,” He let out a cry, "He's going to be okay!” The group cheered, relieved smiles adorning all of their faces.

"How long until he's out of the pod?” Keith questioned, standing up to stretch. The man held up one finger with a grin.

"Shouldn't be too long, I'd say by this time tomorrow!" Hunk whooped, falling back and ending up catching Pidge with his shoulder and pulling her down as well. The two were silent for a second before laughing at the position they were in, Hunk's large body pinning down Pidge's shoulder, and they were both sitting criss-cross. The most cheerful any of them had been since the incident.

"Can it be tomorrow already?” Pidge whined, removing herself from under Hunk. The rest of them laughed at her antics, though they all wholeheartedly agreed.

True to Coran's word, at almost exactly the same time as the day before, the pod slid open with a huff, and Lance's sleeping body tumbled out into Hunk's awaiting arms. The Cuban boy's eyes slid open groggily, pupils now back to their normal size. "What- what happened?"

"Frankly? A lot. It'll come back to you in a bit, right now we're just glad you're okay.” Shiro explained, placing a hand on Lance's shoulder.

"That’s not ominous at all…” He laughed, everyone joining, glad he was back to his normal self. "How long was I in the pod  _ this time? _ "

"Almost three days, the wound in your side was pretty severe,” Krolia stated.

"Now, Lance, I think it would be best if you get some rest,” Coran suggested, and Lance nodded without a word, obviously exhausted despite having been unconscious for three days. They all left the cargo ship, Lance stumbling to the red lion with the help of Hunk and Pidge. The boy didn’t remember much after that, only passing out on the air mattress in the lion almost immediately, and the hazy feeling of someone laying a blanket across his form.

* * *

 

When he woke up, he noticed that it was still light out, looking around four o’clock. He sat up, surveying the interior of the red lion. He was surprised Allura standing near the opening. “I thought you should know how worried everyone was for you. Trust me, we all almost cried with relief when Coran said you were going to be okay.” She smiled at Lance’s half-surprised half touched expression. “Don’t act so surprised, Lance. And hey, when you’re ready, would you mind joining us outside? Hunk and Pidge were planning some sort of gathering around a pile of sticks aflame, I think they called it a bonfire, tonight. I think everyone would like to know what happened, as well. Only if you’re comfortable.” He thought for a second,  _ happened? What had happened? Oh.  _ He remembered all of it now, Haggar, the forcefield, getting thrown off the cliff, the  _ visions _ , everything.

She left without another word, leaving a shocked Lance. The boy stood up, noticing he still had a bit of “Sleep-chamber knees,” as Coran had called it. Wobbling through the first few steps, he stepped out into the daylight, breathing in the fresh air he hadn't been able to enjoy since arriving on Earth. He heard a gasp and caught sight of Hunk rushing toward him, probably having just noticed him. Pidge was following close behind the Samoan teen. “Lance!” The duo cheered, gathering their friend into a group bear hug, giggling when Pidge ended up accidentally elbowing Hunk in the ribs. “How are you feeling?” Hunk asked, looking Lance up and down.

“Much better, still a bit wobbly though.” He gave a genuine smile, putting his arms around his best friends’ shoulders. “And, I think I remember everything now.” His face dropped, mind lingering on the events in the ocean.

Pidge caught the sudden shift in emotion. “Well, you can talk to us about it when you're ready, dude. How about you help Hunk and I set up for a bonfire tonight? You two can collect some fuel, and I’m gonna go find some rocks to put around the sticks. I also gotta find where I put the matches…” She trailed off, walking towards her lion, presumably to search for matches.

The two boys gathered sticks for about an hour, accumulating one of the biggest piles of sticks they’ve ever seen. “Oh, this’ll be fun,” Lance smirked, rubbing his hand together mischievously.

A few hours later, the team was gathered around a huge bonfire, laughing at jokes and watching as the glowing ashes floated up into the night sky. Lance stared off into space, thoughts drifting to previous events. "Hey, um…” He cleared his voice, earning the attention of the others. "You guys probably have  _ a lot  _ of questions," He pulled the blanket that was draped around his shoulders closer. "And I may be able to answer them?”

"Go on,” Shiro encouraged. "It will be good for you to tell us what happened, Lance.”

"Well,” He began, scratching the back of his neck. "So you probably guessed that what Haggar did to me was put me in a trance.” The team gasped, save for Coran and Allura. "What she basically did was make me relive all the times in my life when I was criticized, a lot. It wasn't the small moments where someone made a passing joke at my abilities, it was the major instances that I still think about and that haunt me to this day. Such as being bullied for not being smart, being yelled at for not being a good pilot by my old group, Iverson rubbing my failures in my face..." Lance trailed off, looking out to the sea, not wanting his friends to see the water forming in his eyes. "I… I somehow broke out of it by telling myself that that's not what my life is like now. Now I have you guys, you help me grow instead of shooting me down. Taking me for who I am, albeit occasionally reluctantly, but all in the name of fun. I told myself repeatedly that my life was so much more than being bullied by James from 6th-grade math class, or Sienna insulting me ten times a day, or Iverson yelling my ear off. You guys, you’re like my second family.” He took a deep breath, “But I just felt, so  _ weak  _ down there. Breaking down over things that happened years ago, not to mention almost dying because of a piece of  _ coral.  _ Coral for god sake!”

“You’re not weak, Lance. You broke out of the most powerful witch in the known universe’s entrancement for quiznack sake! That is definitely not an easy feat.” Allura exclaimed, earning a gaping look from Lance. "I have not heard of anyone to free themselves from one of Haggar's trances. As far as we know, you're the first."

Lance sat in shock, he didn't understand.  _ How could he be the first?  _ He jolted when Pidge suddenly jumped onto his back in a bear hug, apparently no longer in her seat next to Allura and Keith. All of a sudden, the entire team was swarmed around the red paladin, surrounding him in a group hug. "You are the farthest thing from weak. In fact, you're the strongest person I know.” Hunk whispered in his ear, causing tears to start forming again.

"Call yourself weak one more time,” Pidge began threatening. "And I will hack your space music player to only play Gucci Kidz.” The group burst out laughing, Lance howling with tears now freely falling down his face.

"Hey, does anyone know what day it is currently? Like, here, on Earth?" Lance asked, suddenly realizing he didn't know what time of year it was.

Pidge pulled her computer out of thin air, quickly typing in a few characters. "Well,” She smiled, showing her screen to Hunk.

"Happy birthday, Lance."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that! Comment if you want the second part, I have an idea for a part two but only if you guys want it! Well, do you want to see what happens after all of this?
> 
> I also am planning a Lance-centric trio/quartet of songfics based on a song from each of Lauren Aquilina's Fools, Sinners, and Liars EP trio. It may also have an Isn't It Strange fic, but I'm not sure.
> 
> Make sure to comment and leave kudos if you liked this!


End file.
